First Things First

Happy Fourth of July!

Michael Jackson: The Man In The Mirror

"Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That's the greatest dancer of the century." -- Fred Astaire

"I didn't want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!" Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)

"The only male singer who I've seen besides myself and who's better than me -- that is Michael Jackson." Frank Sinatra

Michael Jackson died unexpectedly on Thursday, June 25. The suddenness of his death came as a source of shock to all. 

Some have used the occasion to present a contemptibly narrow view of his personal struggles. But as the months and years roll by, it is the contribution of his musical genius that will be written permanently in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. Even now, the greatest of his peers have recognized him as one of the most gifted and accomplished musical artists of the last century.

Few artists have used their talents to uplift mankind as vigorously as Michael Jackson. Though lean in stature, he stood firmly against social and political forces that seek to diminish the integrity of the human spirit. He uplifted individuals struggling to be free. At the same time his voice spoke a message that went far beyond the rights of the individual. Michael reminded us that personal dignity and individual freedom can only be perfected in the warm embrace of human solidarity. 

It was the human family that stood foremost in Michael's mind. "We are the world," he said. And against this backdrop, he challenged freedom-loving individuals to act heroically for the betterment of all. "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change," he said. 

Thus Michael Jackson was no spokesman for narcissism, despite the fact that he often sought refuge there. At bottom, his music was driven by the ancient dream of the brotherhood of man. He saw redemption in a bonding of all individuals in simple humanity.  Human solidarity -- Love -- was for him the foundation of Justice and the meaning of Life!

Michael Jackson: June 25, 2009, RIP

Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop", died today at the age of 50.  Listen as Michael, age 12, performs "I'll Be There" on the Jim Nabors Show in 1970.  

Frank Schaeffer Blasts Extremist Language

On May 31, Dr. George Tiller was gunned down while serving as an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church he attended in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Tiller, who ran an abortion clinic that performed late term abortions, had been the target of violent extremists for many years. On August 19, 1993, he was shot in both arms by Shelley Shannon. She received an eleven year prison sentence for the crime. This past Sunday he was killed.

Frank Schaeffer, along with his father (the late Francis Schaeffer), Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, and Dr. C. Evert Koop (Surgeon-General in the Reagan Administration) helped found the Religious Right. One of the hallmarks of this movement became the radicalization of speech.  

In 1982, Mr. Schaeffer's father (Francis Schaeffer) wrote a book called A Christian Manifesto in which he called for the use of force if all other means of stopping abortion failed.  He compared the United States and its practice of legalized abortion to Hitler's Germany and argued that whatever means might have removed Hitler could be used to stop abortion in America.  In 1984, Frank Schaeffer wrote A Time for Anger in which he argued the same point.  His book became a national best seller with the help of the evangelical movement.  Dr. James Dobson alone gave away 100,000 copies.

In an interview with Rachael Maddow yesterday, Mr. Schaeffer discusses the radicalization of language in the culture wars and the part it played in the pro-life movement.  "Word have consequences," he says. As language gets more extreme, consequences become more extreme. 

Schaeffer admits his own culpability in the death of Dr. George Tiller and urges others in the Religious Right to do so too.  Watch his comments here:  

The Spirituality of Youth Violence, III

III - Mechanistic Strategies and Research Methodologies:                                     An Indifference to Spiritual Interiority

Immediately after World War II, the principle threats to the health status of America's youth came from infectious diseases.  Polio, diphtheria, measles, chicken pox, and whooping cough -- each struck fear in the hearts of parents.  But over time those threats receded.  Polio is gone. Diphtheria is gone. Measles, chicken pox, and whooping cough are at an all time low.  Indeed, for all practical purposes, yesterday's battles have been won.  But they could well have been lost had we not identified the root cause of those diseases and developed vaccines that could prevent them.

Today, America's youth faces an entirely new set health threats: emotional distress, suicide, violence, substance abuse, and risky sexual behaviors.  Youth violence is especially troubling because of the highly-charged attention it has received.

Yet having developed over the years a myriad of programs to treat the consequences of such behaviors -- analogous to the treatment of infectious diseases prior to the development of preventive vaccines -- we still know very little about their root cause.  This explains why we have been unable to develop an effective national strategy to prevent violent behavior.  Effective prevention depends on a knowledge of root cause.

Shep Smith Goes Ballistic on Torture

The Spirituality of Youth Violence, II

II -- The Critical Juncture: An Indifference to Spiritual Interiority

Indifference or reconciliation.  The choice is ours to make.

Yet, such choices are often perplexing, ranging as they do through the murky depths of the human psyche.  They easily befuddle the most astute observer and tend to dishearten those inclined to reconcile.

But apart from presenting confusion and discouragement, what makes an understanding of this choice so difficult is the use of the term indifference.  To most, indifference implies a moral deficiency relative to another person, such as a want of concern or caring for them.

Not surprisingly, most parents would deny any such assertion.  Few would admit they are indifferent toward their children.  Most parents have strong feelings of love for them and this love is a powerful testimony against any allegation of indifference.  Given this, it would seem that the disjunctive proposition — indifference or reconciliation — holds little, or no, promise for deepening our understanding of the causal dynamics of youth violence.

But before dismissing the term indifference altogether, it is well to remember that it has a logical meaning which transcends the moral sensibility and commitment to caring.

The Spirituality of Youth Violence, I

It happened ten years ago today.

At 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 20th, 1999, gunshots rang out from Columbine High School killing twelve students, a teacher, and both assailants. This act reverberated across the land like a mighty thunderclap. It sounded a terror-laden warning. It awakened in countless individuals, families, and communities a truth forgotten, a vulnerability denied, and an anguish concealed. Time stopped as hearts and minds resonated with the harsh moments of that mournful event.

No doubt. Columbine sent tremors of fear across the nation. Like a peaceful sunlit meadow suddenly overrun by a raging mountain storm, the tranquility of trust was replaced by the wrenching uncertainty of distrust. Existential angst seeped into our national consciousness. We asked with uncertain expectation what dreadful journey led Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to tear the social fabric and tear it so hideously. We became fearful of what was going on in our own neighborhoods, in our own families, and with our own children. We became suspicious of our children’s actions and our children’s friends. We became frightful of the tribute that might accompany their attendance at school. We wondered about our children’s exposure and our powerlessness to intercede on their behalf. We worried about the unknown and the brutal forces that range beyond our control. We asked “what next?” as we braced ourselves for another round of violence.

Eric Harris, left, and Dylan Klebold, carrying a TEC-9 semi-automatic pistol, are pictured in the cafeteria at Columbine High School, in Littleton, Colorado, during their shooting rampage.  Both killed themselves later in the school library.

Scarborough: "It's Over, Norm!"

Right Wing Loons Foiled By Obama

Obama To Iran: Let's Begin Anew

Hagel Rips Cheney

Speaking on Meet the Press Sunday, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that President Obama has made the country "less safe" by raising the "risk to the American people of another [terrorist] attack."

Last night on MSNBC's Rachael Maddow Show, former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said: "That ridiculous."

Frank Schaeffer: On The Republican Party

Republican Party: Lockstep With Rush

Robert Ariall/The State (Columbia, S.C.) March 10, 2009

Mainstreet vs. Wall Street

In the video clip below, Mayor Virg Bernero of Lansing, Michigan makes a compelling case for personal dignity in the workplace. Having been born and nurtured by working class parents, Bernero grasps the human dimension of the nation's current economic crisis.

In stark contrast, the Fox News anchor appears intellectually and emotionally detached and unmoved by Bernero's arguments. His gross indifference is stereotypical of what we've come to expect in this age of ideological politics. 

Not unrelated, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana created a commotion this past week when he announced his refusal to accept Federal assistance for the unemployed of his state. Not unlike the Fox News anchor, Jindal's statement was fouled with the stench of indifference.

Could it be that Mainstreet's voice will be more loudly heard in future policy debates? If Bernero's arguments and the public's outcry against Jindal are any indication, a new breed of Mainstreet leadership is gaining strength across America.  

Perhaps Wall Street's dominance over the direction and priorities of the U.S. economy will soon be challenged by the common sense stories intrinsic to individual lives and local communities?  Are we about to see a resurgence of Mainstreet in American politics? Is change coming to America at last?

Republican Strategy: Just Say No!

Dwane Powell, Raleigh News and Observer (February 16, 2009)

GOP Health Critic Paid By Drug Company

Obama On Economic Stimulus Bill

President Obama: Inaugural Address

Mahalia Jackson: "We Shall Overcome"

Mahalia Jackson sings the anthem of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement -- We Shall Overcome. This hymn underscores the historic significance of the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as 44th President of the United States of America.

John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address

John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Inaugural Address remains the gold standard of such addresses over the last half century.

Martin Luther King: "I Have A Dream"

The following is the full version of the I Have A Dream speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963. Dr. King was 34 years old at the time.

The Presidency of George W. Bush

Andrew Wyeth, RIP

Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth

Obama: The Human Touch

President-elect Barack Obama mixed it up with ordinary citizens Saturday by enjoying a hotdog at Ben's Chili Bowl, a landmark Washington, D.C. diner. Obama said it was the first time visiting the diner and that "it was terrific."  I agree, having eaten there on many occasions myself.  

"We Must Think Anew and Act Anew"

On December 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln sent a long and passionate message to Congress detailing the State of the Union and his plan for the remunerative emancipation of slaves. In its concluding three paragraphs, Lincoln wrote some of his most famous words. He said:

"I do not forget the gravity which should characterize a paper addressed to the Congress of the nation by the Chief Magistrate of the nation. No do I forget that some of you are my seniors, nor that many of you have more experience than I, in the conduct of public affairs. Yet I trust that in view of the great responsibility resting upon me, you will perceive no want of respect yourselves, in any undue earnestness I may seem to display.

"Is it doubted, then, that the plan I propose, if adopted, would shorten the war, and thus lessen its expenditure of money and of blood? Is it doubted that it would restore the national authority and national prosperity, and perpetuate both indefinitely? Is it doubted that we here -- Congress and Executive -- can secure its adoption? Will not the good people respond to a united, and earnest appeal from us? Can we, can they, by any other means, so certainly, or so speedily, assure these vital objects? We can succeed only by concert. It is not "can any of us imagine better?" but, "can we all do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.

"Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."

Eighty years later, Aaron Copland used excerpts from these paragraphs -- and the Gettysburg Address -- in his evocative A Lincoln Portrait. In the following performance, actor Gregory Peck narrates Lincoln's words.

Though written for another time, Lincoln's inspiration bears heavily on the circumstances we as a nation face today. Let us hope that Congress and the Executive can discover within themselves the qualities necessary to lead this great country towards a more perfect realization of its sacred promises.

Happy New Year!

Al Jolson Sings Auld Lang Syne

Brzezinski: Joe Scarborough is Superficial

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's national security advisor, confronted Joe Scarborough yesterday morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe.  After Brzezinski had detailed the raw failures that lay behind the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian hostilities, and laid much of the fault for the current loss of life squarely on American passivity regarding this challenge, Scarborough responded: "You cannot blame what is going on in Israel on the Bush Administration."  

Dr. Brzezinski replied: "You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."

Scarborough then tried to defend himself.  But the more he said the more obvious it became that Brzezinski's statement about his superficiality was absolutely true.

  

Eartha Kitt, December 25, 2008: RIP

Eartha Kitt died yesterday at the age of 81.  Born on a cotton plantation just outside Columbia, South Carolina, Kitt rose to become a great American actress, singer, and cabaret performer.  Orson Welles called her "the most exciting woman in the world."

In 1953, she recorded Santa's Baby, a song with which she has since been identified.  It was written as a parody of a women whose Christmas list includes a sable, a yacht, and expensive decorations from Tiffany's.  In the following clip, watch as Kitt performs Santa's Baby just two years ago at the age of 79.